NCA Inside & Out

The May issue of NCA’s Spectra magazine looks at the state of the academic workforce. In her opening article, Carole Blair points out that Communication scholars are burdened by “increased faculty workloads, unfunded mandates imposed on departments and faculty, and lack of what should be pro forma support for faculty research.” Blair Thompson notes that these issues are largely the result of new economic realities and provides suggestions for how administrators can help faculty maintain a healthy work-life balance in the face of current challenges.

And, racial minorities in academia face greater challenges than their non-minority peers. Marnel Niles Goins writes that “Black females in predominately white institutions are underprivileged, undervalued, and underappreciated.”

Finally, Katie Brown and William Howell offer readers a look into perhaps the least appreciated faculty population—graduate students, who, the authors note, frequently receive little or no compensation, no benefits, and poor treatment from their institutions.

While the authors in this issue describe serious challenges for the academic workforce, they also offer a multitude of potential solutions. Make sure to check your mailbox for your May issue of Spectra or log in to download the issue here.